Quarelling Like an Old Married Couple
by Gaby Black
Summary: COMPLETE! Slash, RemusSirius. It takes many things to get Sirius and Remus to admit their feelings: kissing and disappointing girls who are in love with them, freaking out, fainting, and, of course, quarreling like an old married couple!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. JK Rowling, lucky her, does.

**Warning: **Slash, Remus/Sirius.

**Author's Note:** My first attempt at slash, actually, so please be lenient. I haven't read that many good slash stories anyway. I have no idea where this story is going, I just know that it will be short. Please leave a review, and check out my other stories! Thanks.

**Prologue**

It was raining hard on September 1st, 1971, as Remus stood next to the Hogwarts Express, holding his trunk and looking slightly afraid. Remus quickly said good-bye to his parents, who did not seem that sad to see him go, and found himself ushered into the train, along with many pupils who intended not to get drenched. It had started to rain just a few minutes ago, and most of the students had already got in the train by that time. But Remus had been a bit late. It was an unfortunate habit of his mother's.

Remus started walking, looking for an empty compartment, but finding none. After about five minutes, he opened a door to find three boys casually chatting and laughing. Deciding they seemed alright, Remus stepped into the compartment.

"Hello," Remus said a little uncertainly. "Can I sit here?"

They all looked at him.

"Sure," said a messy-haired boy with glasses.

Remus smiled gratefully and sat down next to the boy who had talked. He then noticed that he was the only one to be soaked wet; the other boys had obviously got on the train before the rain had started to pour.

"Have you come all the way from France, and swam across the English Channel?" drawled the boy who was sitting opposite him.

For the first time, Remus had a good look at him. He was smiling from ear to ear now, and it was a very charming smile. He had beautiful grey eyes that managed not to be cold, but joyful and mischievous. His dark hair fell on them gracefully.

"I'm Sirius Black," the boy said.

"Don't mind him," the boy with glasses said, referring to Sirius's previous comment. "I've known him for ten minutes, and he's already made fun of half of the wizarding population."

"Not in a nasty way, though," Sirius protested, still smiling.

"I'm Remus Lupin," Remus said.

"I'm James Potter," said the boy with glasses, "and that's Petter Pettigrew."

A small and rather fat boy, who had not talked yet, smiled at Remus.

"Well, I hope you're not weak-hearted, Remus," Sirius said.

"Why?" Remus asked, suddenly a little frightened.

"Why, because you're about to embark on a trip with Sirius Black!" Sirius winked.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: In Which Sirius Begins To Realize**

One gloomy November evening, Remus entered the common room after having studied in the library for two hours with Lily Evans and Dorcas Meadowes, to find Sirius, Peter and James sitting by the fire, as usual. James was talking about Quidditch but Sirius did not seem to be listening.

"Ah, _there_ you are, Remus," Sirius said.

Remus cautiously sat down at his usual place, which was on the couch, right next to Sirius. When the dark-haired boy called him Remus, it usually was no good. Indeed, Sirius looked disgruntled.

"Where have you been? Off with your girlfriends again?" Sirius grunted. "In the _library_?"

In Sirius Black's mouth, library sounded like a swear word. James stopped talking to Peter to watch the argument that was sure to take place.

"You sound like a jealous girlfriend, Sirius," Remus shook his head, smirking.

"Don't dodge the question!" Sirius said earnestly, his cheeks slightly pink.

"Yes, I was at the library with Dorcas and Lily," Remus said. "I don't see what's wrong with that."

"You don't, now, do you?" Sirius scoffed. "Well, you see, when you are with them, you are not with us. You are not pranking and plotting with us, but _studying_."

In Sirius Black's mouth, studying sounded like a crime against humanity.

"Leave Moony alone, Padfoot," James said, sounding like a weary father telling off his sons.

James smiled at Remus. James didn't mind so much that Remus spent time in the library with the two girls because Dorcas was his cousin and because he thought Remus could be useful in giving him information about Lily if he spent time with her. And, James thought, if Remus really _had_ to study, it didn't matter much with whom he studied, because he _would_ study anyway. Still, he understood Sirius because he missed Remus too.

"Look, I'm glad to know that you miss me," Remus smiled. "But I'm not forsaking you guys, don't worry."

"Padfoot can't live without you," James said earnestly.

"That," Sirius said with dignity, "is what Moony would like to think."

James, Remus and Peter laughed, but Sirius looked earnest. His friends did not notice it, but a look of realization slowly crept over Sirius's face, and it suddenly dawn on him, like the most natural and simple thing in the world: yes, he missed Remus. And yes, he was really jealous of Dorcas and Lily. Not just jealous that they spent time with his best friend, it was deeper than that. Sirius somehow feared that Remus might fall in love with one of the girls. They were in their sixth year and so far, Remus had not dated anyone because of his werewolf problem. Sirius suddenly found it suited him perfectly. He had never imagined Remus being in love with a girl, holding her, _kissing_ her… He had never suspected that he would feel like ripping the girl's head off. The thought of his sweet and witty friend Remus bantering, laughing and sharing his secrets with a girl was simply unbearable. Sirius had not thought about it before, because Remus had never seemed to fancy anyone. Now that he spent much time with Dorcas Meadowes (Lily was out of it, being James's dream girl), there _was_ a danger.

"Tell me, do you like Dorcas?" Sirius asked, trying to sound detached, but it was rather difficult what with what he was slowly beginning to realize.

They were walking down towards the Great Hall to have dinner. Remus, who was walking ahead, next to James, turned to Sirius, slightly surprised.

"Yes, I quite like her. She's clever. It's nice, for a change, after having been forced to hang out with the half-witted girls you usually date," Remus replied.

Was it Sirius's imagination, or was there really a hint of resentment in Remus's last words?

"Do you fancy her?" Sirius insisted.

"Why do you want to know?" Remus raised his eyebrows.

To Sirius's relief, James lost interest in the conversation as he had just spotted Lily. Peter was too hungry to be paying attention to what they were saying. Sirius shrugged and tried, once again, to appear relaxed and detached.

"'Cause I'm your friend," Sirius replied lightly.

"Well, since you insist, I do not fancy her. We're just friends."

Sirius would have preferred not to feel so relieved. By the time they'd reached the Great Hall, he'd lost his appetite.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reviews, glad you like it. Also, I've seen that several people have added this story to their favourites, but haven't reviewed. This is bad, people :) lol. Hope you enjoy it, and leave a review, this means a lot to me! Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter 2:**** In Which Dorcas Meadowes Is Used As Sirius's Black Personal Guinea Pig**

During the following weeks, Sirius spent much more time thinking than he usually did. And, since he usually spent about two minutes a day thinking and doing nothing else, his friends noticed it and inquired about his strange behaviour.

"I'm fine," Sirius would say, trying to laugh it off.

But the more he thought about it, the clearer it became. He would listen to Remus, and think he was the most interesting person he knew. He would look at Remus when the light-haired boy wasn't looking, and he would find him hopelessly adorable, especially the slight frown on Remus's face when he was reading. Remus would touch him unintentionally, and he would feel butterflies in his stomach he had never realized were there before.

They were now in mid December. Sirius decided it was time to snog some girl. If he didn't like it, then he would _know_. He was still confused about his feelings, so confused that he had just realized that he had not dated a girl since June. Well, he had not had the chance during the summer, stuck inside Grimmauld Place and then having fun at James's, Sirius tried to convince himself. And when they had come back to Hogwarts? _You just didn't feel like dating a girl_, said a voice in his head, and this voice sounded very much like Remus's. _I had other things on my mind, what with Quidditch, pranks and detentions_, Sirius protested. Remus's voice snorted.

"Are you sure you're alright, Padfoot?" James asked for the second time that day.

They were having breakfast in the Great Hall. Sirius was sitting as far from Remus as he could without it being noticed, that was, next to James and in front of Peter, who sat next to Remus. He was still much too close.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sirius grumbled. "You've asked me this ten minutes ago already, just leave me alone, will you?"

Sirius looked down at his plate, which was at least half less filled than usual. He didn't feel like eating these days. Remus, as usual, seemed to read his thoughts.

"You don't eat much these days, Padfoot," Remus said softly. "Are you sure you're not ill? We're worried about you."

Sirius stared into Remus's concerned eyes. Sirius had always thought Remus's eyes were wonderful. They were of a beautiful and unusual shade of golden, like the colour of fallen leaves, and could display such a wide range of emotion. Sirius could always tell whether Remus was sad or happy, just by looking into his eyes.

"Maybe he's in _love_ with some chick," James said snidely.

James and Peter sniggered. Remus and Sirius broke their eye contact.

"In your words, it sounds like some kind of disease," Remus rolled his eyes.

"Not in _my_ words," James shook his head, "in Sirius's. We all know how much Sirius is afraid of the mere idea of having a real relationship, of being in love. I'm not scared of being in love, we all know I'm in love with Lily and –"

But Sirius had stopped listening to him. What James had just said had the bitter taste of truth. He had dated – Sirius counted in his head – twelve girls throughout his fifth year, but none of them had lasted more than a week. He had never cared that much about any of them. He had never thought about this possibility, but it must have been because he was not, after all, interested in girls.

"I need to make sure of that."

Sirius cringed, having not meant to say that aloud. James looked at him in concern, but there was still a twinkle of mockery in his eyes.

"I always say, Padfoot, that if you think too much your head will explode. Voicing what you're thinking in the first step," James said seriously.

"Don't listen to him," Remus shook his head.

Sirius watched thoughtfully as Remus finished eating.

"What do you need to make sure of, by the way?" Peter asked.

_Damn Peter,_ Sirius thought. _Why does he always have to know everything about us?"_

"I don't remember," Sirius lied casually. "And I bet that's the second step, Prongs?"

"You got it alright, Padfoot," James laughed.

As Sirius allowed himself to smile, he caught Remus's thoughtful gaze. Sirius would give about anything to be able to read Remus's mind at this moment.

"Hello, Lily!" James almost shouted as the red-haired girl passed by.

"Potter," Lily said, acknowledging him with a stiff nod.

Lily then made her way away from them, at the other end of the Gryffindor table, and sat down next to Dorcas Meadowes. _Dorcas._

"Have you seen that?" James said, excited. "She actually did _not_ snarl at me!"

"That's very good, Prongs," Remus said, trying not to laugh.

Sirius took as an excuse that he had just emptied his plate.

"I'll see you in Charms, I've got something to do first," Sirius said vaguely.

Sirius then stood up and made his way towards Lily and Dorcas.

"_Aha_!" he heard James cry. "I knew it!"

If he had not been so worried, Sirius would have laughed and shouted back at James. But he certainly wasn't in the mood.

"Good morning, ladies," Sirius said, trying to act like the heartbreaker he used to be, and, to the rest of Hogwarts, still was.

Lily and Dorcas merely looked up from their breakfast to grunt. _This isn't going to be so easy,_ Sirius thought. But if he had chosen Dorcas, it was partially to make sure that there was nothing going on between her and Remus. It was also because, having never dated her, she did not resent him for having dumped her.

"I'd like to talk to you in private, Dorcas," Sirius said, smiling at her.

Dorcas nearly choked and blushed as Lily giggled.

"_Talk_, huh?" Lily scoffed.

Dorcas took a deep breath and tried to make the blush on her cheeks disappear. Oh, why, _why_ did Sirius Black have to be so good-looking?

"Talk about what, Sirius?" Dorcas asked innocently.

Sirius was caught off-guard.

"Oh, er… Quidditch."

Dorcas was Gryffindor's Seeker. Sirius and James were Chasers.

"Because you need to talk to me in _private_ for that? Lily can't hear it?" Dorcas said in disbelief. "Besides, James is the Captain, he usually does all the Quidditch talk."

Sirius knew why he had not dated Dorcas Meadowes. This girl was too witty. Still, Sirius had one weapon left: The Look.

"Let's just go, alright?" Sirius said huskily, smirking.

He gave her The Look, that made almost every girl swoon and fall head over heels for him. And, clever as she might be, Dorcas Meadowes was no exception.

"Alright," Dorcas replied quietly, her face slightly flushed again.

Five minutes later, they had left the Great Hall and entered the first empty room they had found. Dorcas leaned against a wall, at least as nervous as him.

"So…" Dorcas said. "What did you want to talk to me about? Quidditch?"

"Dorcas, I thought you were clever," Sirius smirked.

The brown-haired girl blushed again and seemed to hate herself for it. It had always amazed Sirius, the effect he had on females.

"No," Sirius said, "I was wondering if you could do something for me, as a favour."

"A _favour_?" Dorcas asked suspiciously.

She was beginning to think she had misunderstood Sirius's reasons for bringing her here.

"Yes, you see, I think I'm in love with that girl –" Sirius began.

"Which girl?" Dorcas interrupted.

_Damn. Think quickly, Sirius._

"Marlene McKinnon."

He had said the first name that had popped into his head. Thankfully, Marlene and Dorcas weren't friends, therefore Dorcas might not tell Marlene about all this. And even if she did, it would not matter much.

"Marlene?" Dorcas shrugged. "I don't see how I fit in all this."

"Don't you, Dorcas?" Sirius asked sweetly.

Sirius tried to find a way to ask her that would not infuriate her, but it seemed quite difficult.

"Well, before I tell her how I feel, I wanted to make sure that I really loved her, and that's why I thought that I should kiss another girl and see what I feel."

Spooky how easy it was to lie, sometimes. Dorcas seemed to think about it for a moment.

"In short, you want to use me as a guinea pig?" Dorcas finally said.

She didn't seem to believe a single word he'd said, but didn't seem to mind.

"My _personal_ guinea pig," Sirius smiled.

He gave her The Look again, just in case.

After a quick fight with herself, Dorcas gave up. "Alright."

"Thanks, Dorcas," Sirius said, slightly relieved.

He walked towards her and with what seemed to him as a great effort, pressed his lips against her. He closed his eyes and _told_ himself to enjoy it, that Dorcas was a pretty girl and why, oh _why_ didn't he enjoy it? He pulled back and looked down at her, troubled.

"How was I?" Sirius asked.

Maybe it was just because he needed some practise. Dorcas laughed, bewildered.

"Sirius Black, questioning me about his kissing abilities? I must be dreaming."

But when Sirius kept on looking disturbed, she smiled kindly.

"You were great, Sirius, of course you were."

Dorcas was surprised to see that this did not seem like good news to Sirius.

"I – I think I love her," Sirius said faintly.

"It's going to be alright, Sirius, don't worry."

_No, it's not going to be alright, _Sirius thought bitterly. _What am I going to do?_


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews. Hope you like this (short) chapter. A little surprise at the end ;) Also, please check out my Remus/Sirius one-shot, "You Got the Silver".

* * *

**Chapter 3: In Which Remus Acts, Uncharacteristically, Like an Idiot**

"I wonder where Padfoot is," Peter said for the third time since Sirius had left.

They were now walking towards their Charms classroom.

James sniggered. "I wouldn't _wonder_ so much if I were you, Wormtail. There isn't really much to wonder about."

"I thought Sirius didn't like Dorcas," Remus said cautiously.

"Oh well, you know him and how easily he changes his mind," James shrugged.

When they stepped into the classroom, Sirius was already sitting in the back, at their usual place. Remus was used to sitting next to Sirius in Charms, but when he sat down, Sirius grunted without looking at him.

"I'd rather sit next to Wormtail, if you don't mind," Sirius muttered.

Remus's expression was a mixture of surprise and disappointment, but Sirius could not see it. Without another word, Remus changed places with Peter.

"What's wrong with him?" James asked, frowning.

Remus sighed. "I have no idea."

* * *

That day after classes, Remus found he had a huge amount of homework to do. Seeing that James and Sirius were in detention for an umpteenth prank they had pulled, Peter and Remus headed for the library. When they arrived, Remus immediately spotted Lily and Dorcas sitting at their usual table. Instead of sitting with them as he usually did, he and Peter chose a table at the other end of the library. Remus found he did not feel like talking to Dorcas at all, and perfectly knew the reason why. After five minutes, though, Dorcas came and sat down next to him. 

"Hello, Rem," Dorcas whispered, so as not to be heard by Madam Pince.

"Do you want us to get killed by Madam Pince?" Remus said coldly without looking up.

Remus saw the surprise and sadness in Dorcas's brown eyes; he usually wasn't a cold person, especially not with her.

"I wanted to talk to you about Sirius," Dorcas whispered, ignoring his previous comment.

Remus stopped writing his essay to look at her. He did not want to hear it.

"He told me he was in love with Marlene McKinnon," Dorcas revealed. "Did you know that?"

Remus tried to ignore the horrible sensation in his stomach by thinking rationally: if Sirius had been in love with Marlene, he _would_ have told him. At least, Remus would have noticed.

"I wasn't aware of that," Remus said stiffly. "But then what did he want to do with you?"

Dorcas blushed slightly. "He wanted to kiss me to know if he really was in love with Marlene. But, Remus… I found him strange. He acted really weird. Right after he kissed me, he asked me how he had been, can you believe that? Something's going on."

Remus took a deep breath. "I'll see to it, thank you very much."

To him, it signalled the end of the conversation. He resumed writing, but after thirty seconds, he realized that Dorcas was still there.

"Remus… why are you angry at me?" Dorcas asked softly.

Remus finally looked at her, and was surprised to see that she looked as if she was about to cry. Remus noticed that Lily was standing a few feet away, making as if she was choosing a book, obviously listening to them.

"I'm not angry at you," Remus lied.

_At least, not angrier than with any other girl Sirius has kissed_, Remus thought bitterly. Still, he found it quite strange that Sirius had chosen precisely Dorcas, the girl whom he was closest to, with Lily.

"You know, that kiss didn't mean anything to me," Dorcas said, blushing.

Remus frowned, not seeing where she was getting at.

"Why do you tell me that?" Remus asked.

"I – I thought you might be interested," Dorcas whispered, and she was on the verge of tears again. "Obviously, I was wrong."

She abruptly stood up and made her way out of the library, tears running down her cheeks. Remus stared after her, frowning. But he didn't have much time to think about it, because Lily came storming towards him.

"Remus Lupin, what an idiot you are! I'd never thought I'd say such a thing, but there you are," Lily said, trying to control her fury because she didn't want to get detention.

Lily sat down next to Remus, who held up his hands helplessly.

"Really, Lily, I don't know what I've done wrong –"

"You _don't_? Haven't you seen she'd have wanted you to say something else than "why do you tell me that?" after she'd told you Sirius had kissed her?"

"I don't see why she put herself in such a state, though. I mean, we're good friends, but -"

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Merlin, guys are _so _oblivious."

Remus blinked.

"She is in love with you, Remus."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews, hope you keep on leaving some! If you like this story, you might want to check out the others I wrote: **You Got The Silver** is a Sirius/Remus songfic, a very short one-shot. **Here With Me** is my major work, 24 chapters long, J/L, Remus/OC, Sirius/OC (with an OC which I'm really proud of!). **Memories** is a sequel to Here With Me. **Happiness Under the Sun** and **Have You Ever Loved a Woman** are two short Snape/Lily (Snape loves Lily, but she doesn't return the feelings..) one-shots, inspired by Deathly Hallows of course. **Falling From the Stars** is a short Remus/Tonks one-shot, my first and so far only attempt at this couple. **She Was Born on April Fools' Day** is a fluffy, sweet J/L one-shot. So, you see, you've got plenty to choose from, according to your tastes! ;) Hope you read & review them.

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**Chapter 4: In Which Sirius Expectedly Freaks Out**

"In love with me?" Remus repeated, bewildered. "In love with _me_?"

Judging by the exasperated look on her face, Lily had noticed the emphasis on the "me".

"We're not going into _that_ again," Lily warned him.

Remus decided wisely not to indulge in further self-deprecation. They noticed that Madam Pince looked about to explode.

"Let's go outside to talk," Lily whispered.

Remus left all of his things to Peter with the promise that he would come back about half an hour later. As soon as they were out of the library, Remus turned to Lily.

"I'm really sorry about all this," Remus said guiltily. "I've got to find Dorcas and make up for it. I know I acted like a git, I just never suspected she –"

"I believe you, Remus," Lily cut in. "I guess Dorcas must be in the dormitories."

They headed towards the common room in a quite uncomfortable silence. Remus's mind raced. He had thought Dorcas might fancy Sirius. He had never thought she could be in love with him, while she and Lily had guessed that he was a werewolf the year before.

"I'll go and talk to her into meeting you in your dorms, there won't be anyone there, right?" Lily asked.

They had just entered the common room. Remus nodded and watched as Lily walked up the staircase to the girls' dormitories. After a while, he headed for the dormitories he shared with his fellow Marauders and Fabian and Gideon Prewett. As Lily and he had expected, it was empty. Sighing, Remus sat down on his bed, facing Sirius's bed. As usual, it was rather messy. Remus smiled affectionately. How he had managed for years to sleep right next to where Sirius slept amazed him. Yet as time passed by, he found it more and more difficult not to tell anyone about it.

"Remus," Lily called.

Remus turned and felt another twinge of guilt when he saw Dorcas. The poor girl was clutching at her hands and refused to look at him. It was obvious that she had been crying a lot, but was struggling not to weep in front of him. Lily sat down in front of Remus on what she ignored was Sirius's bed.

"She wanted me to come," Lily explained. "I hope you don't mind."

Remus shook his head. He had just decided to tell the two girls about his deepest secret. He had thought about telling them several times before, but now it seemed like it might make Dorcas a little less sad.

"It's alright," Remus said. "I want to tell you something too."

Finally, Dorcas sat down next to Lily, still looking down.

"I'm really sorry, Dorcas," Remus said sincerely. "I never meant for this to happen. I never thought you could be in love with me."

Dorcas blushed and her eyes filled with tears again. She fought them back and finally found the strength to look at him.

"It's not about you, it's about me…" Remus said quietly.

Now it was he who did not dare to look at her in the eye. It was much more difficult than he had thought it would be.

"What does that mean?" Dorcas asked.

Remus took a deep breath. _Just tell them,_ he said to himself. _You'll feel so much better then._

"I don't like girls," Remus said simply.

For what seemed like several centuries to Remus, while it could not have been more than two minutes, the two girls kept silent.

"I've always thought there was something different about you, Remus," Lily finally said softly, "other than being a werewolf."

"Yes, it makes quite a lot for one person," Remus laughed bitterly.

They fell back into silence, each to their own thoughts. Remus was wondering if he should tell them that he loved Sirius, but decided against it. Lily was thinking that Remus liking boys made a lot of sense. Dorcas was experiencing mixed feelings. A part of her was rather appalled at the news, but another part of her was glad that at least no other girl would have Remus. Yet, it also meant that she could never have him.

"I hope you don't care, Lily," Remus said.

"I don't," Lily replied truthfully.

Lily smiled kindly at him. It had always amazed him how well she accepted other people's differences.

"I'm sorry, Dorcas," Remus said again. "I don't know what to say to make you feel better."

Dorcas sighed. "It's not your fault. I guess I'll feel better eventually."

They all left the dormitories. Lily and Dorcas stayed in the common room while Remus went back to the library. Remus was grateful that Peter was too busy writing his Herbology essay to inquire about what had just happened.

* * *

After having had dinner, Peter, who looked very tired, decided to go to bed early. Remus, who wanted to be in a quiet environment to think, followed him to the dormitories. He checked the time before lying on his bed; it was nine o'clock. He knew Sirius and James's detention ended at half past seven, and that they must have had a quick dinner before going to Quidditch practise, which would end soon. Remus lay in silence, deep in thoughts. Soon he could hear Peter's regular breathing and knew the small boy was fast asleep. He closed his eyes, but sleep would not come. After what seemed like a long while, the door suddenly burst open and a sexy looking Sirius Black in Quidditch robes stormed into the room, muttering swear words.

"What's going on, Sirius?" Remus asked, sitting up.

His voice was rather hoarse from the lack of use. He lit up his wand and checked the time; it was almost ten o'clock. Sirius did not reply and proceeded in taking off his robes. Remus tried not to stare at him, but it was as if he was bewitched.

"I played like shit, I'm going mad, that's what going on," Sirius muttered incoherently, now bare-chested.

Remus finally managed to look away. Peter was still sleeping.

"Where's James?" Remus asked.

"Down in the common room, explaining the others about some fucking Quidditch tactic."

Sirius sounded truly distressed.

"Oh, Moony, I'm freaking out!" Sirius nearly cried. "I don't even know myself anymore."

Sirius paced around the room in his boxers, clearly unable to stay still. Remus was finding his blanket very interesting. Sirius kept on mumbling incoherent things.

"I'm having a cold shower," Sirius finally announced.

Remus whispered, "Nox,", hoping they had not waken up Peter. Two minutes later, Remus listened in silence as water began to pour from the bathroom, and tried hard not to think that Sirius was standing there _naked_, and of how much he wanted to join him.

"Freaking out, are you, Sirius?" Remus whispered in the dark.

This sounded like a good thing.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **check out my profile page to know about the next updates! If you want a bit of Marauders fun, please check out my new fic **Marauders' Notes**.

_Mr Padfoot would like to thank, on behalf of the author, the wonderful readers who left reviews, and invites them to a big collective hug._

_Mr Moony joins Mr Padfoot in his thanks, and would like to ask the people who have got this story on story alert without having left a review to leave one, something for which he will be eternally grateful._

_Mr Padfoot would like to precise that Mr Moony is gladly invited to take part in the hugging process._

;) Well, honeys, on with the story!

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**Chapter 5: In Which Sirius Faints**

Days passed by horribly slowly for Sirius. He spent hours trying to analyze his feelings, couldn't get a good night's sleep when it meant trying to fall asleep right next to where Remus was, and didn't eat much. To reassure his friends, he pretended that he was ill, but refused to go and see Madam Pomfrey. Every time he gave that excuse, though, it seemed to him that Remus's piercing eyes saw much more than what he wanted his friends to see. Sometimes, he managed to convince himself that he was not in love with Remus after all, that it was just a stupid idea that had randomly occurred to him. That was the easy way out. However, he also had moments when he managed to face the truth. After a while, though, he got tired of his inner fights, and finally admitted to himself that he loved Remus Lupin.

"I'm _so_ going to beat you!" James announced, smiling wickedly.

Sirius, who had been lost in thoughts, gave a little start. Fortunately, James was oblivious to anything else when it came to Quidditch. They were walking towards the pitch; it was half past seven in the evening.

"We'll see," Sirius said, but it was merely to say something.

James and he had a perpetual challenge as to who would score the most goals during practise. James always won. _Just forget about Remus_, Sirius said to himself; he wished it was that easy. After about half an hour later, as he was precisely thinking about the person he shouldn't think about, a Bludger hit him hard in the stomach, catching him completely by surprise, and knocked the air out of him. He lost his grip on his broom and fell; fortunately he had not been flying high. He lost consciousness even before he touched the ground.

* * *

Sirius slowly opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds to be able to recognize the silhouettes towering above him: Peter and James at his left, and Remus and Madam Pomfrey at his right. 

"Hey, Padfoot," James said softly. "You scared the hell out of us."

Sirius looked around and realized he was lying on a bed in the hospital wing.

"Your friends told me you had not eaten," Madam Pomfrey said reproachfully. "No wonder why this happened to you."

Sirius just shook his head.

"How are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Like I got run over by a flying motorbike," Sirius replied faintly.

James chuckled. "Bet you'd like that, you motorbike freak."

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "Try being serious."

Sirius opened his mouth to answer with his usual joke, but, as his mind worked unusually slowly, Remus replied before him.

"He _is_ Sirius."

Sirius found the strength to give his bark-like laughter.

"Remus making Sirius's joke? Are you sure _you_'re not ill, Moony?" James smiled.

Madam Pomfrey had gone away, still shaking her head, obviously thinking she would get nothing sensible out of the boys.

"Are you alright, Sirius?" Peter asked.

Sirius sighed. His ribs ached when he moved and he felt quite dizzy.

"I suppose it could have been worse," Sirius replied. "What happened exactly?"

James looked downright worried now.

"I saw it happen, you know," James said. "You were staring off into space and that Bludger flied towards you, I shouted but didn't seem to hear. It hit you and then you, er, fainted."

"_Fainted_?" Sirius repeated in disbelief. "You mean, like girls do?"

"Not only girls faint, Padfoot," Remus said reasonably. "Everyone can fait. As Madam Pomfrey told you, playing Quidditch without having eating for hours wasn't really wise."

Sirius looked away guiltily. He could hear the rain fall and the wind blow fiercely; clearly, a storm had just broken out.

"What time is it?" Sirius asked.

"It's almost nine," James replied, "and Madam Pomfrey said we had until nine… But as you can see, I'm soaked wet."

It had obviously started to rain before they'd got in. James's clothes and hair were wet and he was shaking with cold.

"Go and have a hot shower," Sirius said kindly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, Padfoot," James smiled. "Try to get some sleep."

James walked away, followed by Remus and Peter. But Sirius didn't want Remus to leave.

"Remus," Sirius called him back, "do you mind staying for a few minutes more?"

Remus barely hid his touched smile. He still had that hope in him that Sirius might return his feelings, especially in the light of Sirius's behaviour during the past weeks.

"I'd love that," Remus said, trying to keep his voice even.

Peter and James left, chatting lightly. Remus made his way back towards Sirius's bed, and sat down on a chair next to it.

"You had me really worried, Padfoot," Remus said softly.

Sirius could still see the concern in Remus's golden eyes. Unnerved, he shifted uncomfortably in his bed.

"I'm fine now," Sirius grumbled.

Sirius felt much better thanks to Remus's peaceful, caring eyes.

"Will you tell me what's wrong with you?" Remus asked. "I really want to know."

Sirius looked away, feeling his cheeks colour slightly.

"You will know," Sirius promised. "But not now."

Remus nodded and stared at Sirius in silence for a while. Madam Pomfrey was busy with other sick students and wasn't paying them any attention.

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" Sirius asked, turning his head back to Remus.

Sirius felt very much like a little boy, but he only wanted Remus to watch over him. Remus smiled sweetly and Sirius was grateful that he seemed to find his request natural.

"Of course," Remus replied. "If you want, I can read you something, I've always got a book in my bag."

"That will surely help me to fall asleep," Sirius nodded.

They shared a smile and Sirius suddenly felt like shouting to Remus that he loved him. But, of course, he wasn't ready yet. Sirius watched as Remus took a big book from his bag and started reading it aloud. Sirius closed his eyes. After about ten minutes, Sirius fell asleep. Remus put his book back in his bag and looked at Sirius. He didn't even notice Madam Pomfrey coming towards him.

"Time to leave, boy," Madam Pomfrey told him.

As soon as the woman had turned her back to him, Remus squeezed Sirius's hand lightly.

"Goodnight, Sirius," Remus whispered.

With a last mysterious smile at the sleeping boy, Remus walked away.


	7. Chapter 6

_Mr Padfoot woud like to register his disappointment that several readers have not complied to Mr Moony's request to leave a review, even with the promise of a hug._

_Mr Moony would like to tell them that they are quite wrong, for Mr Padfoot's hugs are the best._

_Mr Padfoot thanks Mr Moony, but would like to precise that they, unfortunately, will not get the treatment lucky Mr Moony gets in this chapter._

;) Thanks to those who left a review. Padfoot, Moony and I love you dearly. Remember, the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll update! For instance, I didn't think I'd write this chapter before next week, but I did! Next update won't come before the end of next week, though. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6 : In Which Sirius and Remus ****Celebrate Christmas**

A few days before Christmas holidays, Sirius declined James's invitation to spend the holidays with his family.

"I'd like that, Prongs," Sirius said sincerely, "but I already spent over a month at your house this summer, I don't want to bother you all."

"As you want, Padfoot," James said.

James was far from suspecting that Sirius's true reason for staying in Hogwarts was that Remus was staying too. Peter was spending the holidays with his family, which left only Sirius and Remus. Remus didn't feel like visiting his parents; they had never really accepted that he was a werewolf. His father worked all the time and his mother treated him as if he was a permanently ill child: not a wonderful way to spend his holiday. He'd much rather stay with Sirius; it would be much more entertaining.

"Don't worry, Prongs, I'm sure Padfoot and I will have fun," Remus smiled.

Sirius glanced briefly at him. _It will be now or never,_ he said to himself.

* * *

On Christmas morning, for a stupid reason that they wouldn't even remember later, they started bantering as they used to do before Sirius had begun to reconsider his feelings. He found that he had missed it. Strangely enough, both of them quite enjoyed their arguments. It occurred to Sirius that their bickering resembled more a lovers' fight than an argument between best friends. Sirius had never thought of it like that before, but he could remember Snape sneering at them once or twice, that they were "quarrelling like an old married couple".

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" Remus said exasperatedly.

Sirius found that the angrier Remus got, the more he wanted him. Moved by a sudden and irresistible impulse, he jumped on the bed and kissed Remus. At first, Remus was dumb-struck, but after a few seconds he began kissing Sirius back, a little timidly. Sirius pulled back only when he was breathless. He stared into Remus's bewildered eyes, his mind completely blank. He could think of nothing to account for this sudden kiss that had sent shivers down his spine. Little did he know that Remus was experiencing the exact same symptoms.

"Er… merry Christmas, Remus," Sirius said lamely.

Sirius felt like banging his head on the wall. _Couldn't you have come up with something better?_, he thought frantically. Remus stared at him in bewilderment for a while, and then burst out laughing. Soon Sirius was laughing too, and felt much more relaxed.

"Padfoot," Remus laughed, "you are _unbelievable_."

Remus suddenly stopped laughing and looked serious, as if he had just remembered that they had been kissing one minute ago.

"Sirius, what was that?" Remus asked quietly.

"A kiss," Sirius stated.

Even in that dramatic moment, Remus rolled his eyes.

"No, really?" Remus said sarcastically. "I thought –"

But he could not finish his sentence because Sirius was kissing him again, this time more passionately.

"In case you thought the first one was a mistake," Sirius said, his grey eyes wide and expectant. "No, I did not mistake you for another person, Remus Lupin."

Remus blushed slightly and gave a small embarrassed smile. Clearly, the shocked look on his face had led Sirius to think that.

"I just… You, Sirius, kissing _me_, that's…" Remus stammered.

"I know, this is crazy. _I _am crazy, I thought you knew that," Sirius said earnestly.

Remus suddenly frowned. What did Sirius mean by this? Was he saying that it was just an experiment, or a moment of folly? Remus looked down and backed away from Sirius.

"I'm crazy, yes, but crazy about you," Sirius said softly.

Remus's heart stopped beating and his brain told him that he _must_ have misheard. He peered at Sirius and looked for any sign which would show him that his friend was just joking. There was none. On the contrary, Sirius's face was graver than ever, his eyes expectant and sincere.

"Remus, please say something," Sirius whispered, a note of pleading in his voice.

But Remus's throat was dry and no word would come out of his mouth. He watched helplessly as Sirius's face fell and as he stood up to leave. Sirius had taken a few quick steps away when Remus's brain finally agreed to work.

"No, Sirius!" Remus almost shouted in despair, as Sirius was almost at the door now. "Come back, I love you!"

Sirius froze in his tracks. He took a few deep breaths before turning back to Remus, whose face reddened under his gaze.

"I love you, Sirius," Remus repeated weakly, not looking at him. "I always have."

Sirius's face expressed a great relief. He smiled incredulously as he made his way back towards Remus, sitting down on the bed again.

"For one horrible minute I thought you didn't," Sirius said. "I couldn't have bore to see you again after that."

Remus looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. You made it quite impossible for me to speak, even to think."

Sirius gave him a charming smile. "I'm glad to know that I do."

Remus smiled back and they remained silent for a while, both of them pondering over what had just happened.

"We shouldn't be doing that," Sirius remarked, looking away, "and yet, we are."

Sirius then planted a quick kiss on Remus's lips, contradicting his statement. Remus smiled slightly as Sirius looked at him thoughtfully.

"Had you ever…"

Sirius seemed unable to continue.

"Had I ever kissed a boy before?" Remus said.

Sirius nodded, the look on his face plainly showing that he expected a negative answer.

"Yes," Remus revealed.

Sirius looked astonished, and strangely betrayed. The mere thought of Remus kissing another guy made him want to give that guy a good kick in the arse.

"You never told me," Sirius pouted.

Remus smiled a little sadly. "Do you think it would have been easy? What could I tell you? Hello, Remus, had a good summer? Oh yeah, I kissed a Muggle bloke, by the way."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sirius said heavily. "Then, it was a Muggle."

Remus settled himself against his pillow and stared at the floor.

"It was this summer. I was convinced you would never feel the way I felt for you. There was a Muggle holiday camp not too far from my house. One day I took a walk and there was this boy, Sebastian, sitting by the river. He engaged the conversation and soon revealed that he was gay. When you know that the person you're talking with is going to leave one week later and that you'll never see them again, you can tell that person a lot of things that you wouldn't say if you were to meet again. The day before he left, Sebastian and I kissed."

"_Sebastian_," Sirius muttered in disgust, "what kind of name is that?"

"Jealous, Sirius?" Remus smirked, now looking at Sirius.

"Maybe," Sirius conceded. "I just never thought… but I can't blame you, of course. I guess waiting for me was no fun."

"It wasn't," Remus nodded darkly.

"I'm sorry, Moony," Sirius said sheepishly. "I just never had a clue."

Sirius gazed thoughtfully at Remus; something had just occurred to him.

"I've got to find another nickname for you," Sirius decided, "which only I would use."

Remus stared back at him and chuckled.

"Why am I under the impression you're going to come up with something saucy?"

"You know me well, Moony," Sirius laughed.

But Remus looked adorably sad as he was reflecting again upon his years of longing for his friend. Sirius almost knocked him over and hugged him tight, determined to make up for it.

"Padfoot, you're smothering me," Remus protested, though he liked it more than he would ever admit.

Sirius kissed Remus's cheek unusually tenderly and brushed a strand of sandy hair out of his eyes.

"What a privilege it would be, dying in my arms," Sirius proclaimed dramatically, with his usual arrogance.

Remus threw his pillow at him with a half-smile.

"But you love me, Moony," Sirius chanted happily, "you _love_ me, Moony loves me-"

"Don't make me wonder why," Remus said, but he was laughing.

Sirius kissed him.

"_That_ is why," Sirius said smugly.

He ran away laughing before Remus's pillow could hit him.


	8. Chapter 7

**¤ uthor's note ¤ **Many thanks to those who left a review. This is the last chapter of the story, a short epilogue will be coming soon. I hope you enjoyed it, that you'll keep on reading my stories, and _don't forget to leave a review_! It doesn't take much of your time but it makes me update quicker and I always love to know what you like/don't like.

* * *

**Chapter 7: In Which James ****Is Enlightened, Between Pillow and Snowball Fights**

The rest of the holidays passed by, as they had expected, incredibly quickly. Before they knew it, it was already the day before classes started again; the day on which the pupils came back to Hogwarts. Remus was painfully aware of this; the thought that their friends were going to come back worried him. He was sitting by the window of their dormitories, looking out and thinking as he often did. Outside, everything was covered in snow; it was such a perfect sight.

"What are you worrying about, Moony?" Sirius asked from behind him.

Remus started, having not heard him coming. Sirius was back after spending one hour in detention for McGonagall; even during the holidays, he still had detention. He looked at Sirius; there was no sign of worry on his handsome face.

"I wish I could be as careless as you," Remus sighed. "We're going to have to tell other people, you know."

He did not need to precise what they would have to tell them; Sirius stood watching him in silence for a while.

"I wish I could say that I don't care about what other people think, but it would be a lie," Sirius finally said. "But whatever they think, I won't leave you. I just hope most of them will take it alright."

Remus looked away and he suddenly felt considerably less worried after what Sirius had said. The words "I won't leave you," were more than reassuring.

"By 'other people', I meant James, really," Remus said quietly.

"Oh yeah... James."

The thought of his best friend had not really come up in Sirius's mind so far. He realized that he had probably been avoiding it.

"I wonder how James will take it," Remus said. "I'm not too worried about Peter."

Sirius thought about it for a moment.

"You know, I think he'll need some time, but will accept it eventually."

"I hope so," Remus said darkly.

"You're always afraid of people not accepting you…" Sirius said. "Maybe he will. But I really think we should _tell_ him… I wouldn't like him to find out by walking on us snogging or something."

"You're right."

Sirius smiled; it wasn't his usual charming smile, but a rather shy one, quite like the one he had when he had told him he loved him.

"I just want you to know, I've had the best holidays of my life," Sirius said quietly.

"Me too…" Remus said sincerely. "Better than the holidays at James's?"

Sirius nodded. "They were great, but even if I was happy I still felt that, I don't know… something was missing. Now I know it was you."

Sirius grinned again; this time it was his usual smile. Remus turned back to the window not to show him he was blushing. Sirius rummaged through his pockets and got out the Marauders' Map.

"There's no one outside," Sirius said, examining it. "Care for a walk?"

Remus turned to him, his eyebrows raised. "Sirius, it is _snowing_."

Sirius flashed him a smile. "Come on, it will be fun! I don't want you to spend the whole day here worrying."

* * *

A few minutes later, they were heading for the lake, snow falling upon them in light flakes. They were walking side by side when suddenly Sirius stopped; Remus kept on walking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sirius bend down and throw a snowball at him.

"I _knew_ this was going to happen," Remus rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you always _know_ everything," Sirius smirked. "But –"

Sirius could not finish his sentence as Remus just retaliated. Soon they were throwing snow at each other, laughing merrily, their previous worries momentarily gone. As Remus ran away to try and dodge between Sirius's snowballs, he nearly bumped into Minerva McGonagall.

"Sorry, Professor," Remus said.

"Good morning, Professor," Sirius said with his charming smile, arriving behind Remus.

Sirius and Remus glanced briefly at each other and something in McGonagall's expression seemed to change. Remus, always observant, saw the surprise in her eyes and he knew that she had guessed. However, there was no sign of disapproval on her face; on the contrary, she smiled at them.

"Good morning, Sirius, Remus."

With another slight smile, she walked away towards Hagrid's hut, leaving them staring after her in disbelief.

"She called us by our first names, can you believe that?" Sirius said, bemused. "I wonder what has taken over her."

"Probably Christmas spirit," Remus replied mysteriously, chuckling.

* * *

A few hours later, James came bouncing merrily into the dormitories, followed by Peter. They both carelessly threw their trunks on the floor and sat down on James's bed, facing Sirius.

"Missed me?" James asked brightly.

With a quick glance at Remus and a broad smile, Sirius answered flatly, "Not really."

"I feel very much welcome," James said sarcastically.

He threw his pillow at Sirius.

"Are you thereby declaring the war, Mr Potter?" Sirius announced solemnly.

"I believe I am, Mr Black," James replied on the same tone.

He hardly had time to nod his head earnestly before his own pillow came smashing into his face. A Marauders' Pillow War had begun. Peter soon joined, but Remus only did when James attacked him, making his neutrality no longer possible. After a few minutes and several insistent glares from Remus, Sirius sighed and declared the war over.

"There's something you need to know," Sirius said, glancing from James to Peter, and then at Remus. "I think I'd rather talk to James alone, Moony."

Remus nodded, secretly relieved that he would not have to tell James. "Alright, I'll tell Peter then."

A clueless looking Peter and an embarrassed Remus left the dormitories. Sirius stood up and started pacing rather nervously.

"What's it about?" James frowned. "What's going on?"

"Prongs, you're my friend, right?"

James rolled his eyes. "Padfoot, that's the most stupid question you've ever asked me, and, believe me, you've asked me _many_ stupid questions. Of course I'm your friend, your best friend."

Sirius nodded. "And you would accept me whatever I chose to be, right?"

James tilted his head to the side. "What are you trying to tell me? Spit it out."

But Sirius was still pacing, trying to find a smooth way to tell James.

"Remus and I…" Sirius started.

He sighed; it was much more difficult than he had thought.

"Remus and you…?" James helped him.

"Well, sometimes one has, you know… a certain kind of _feeling_…"

Sirius stopped talking, sighing. James snorted.

"Talk about a novelty!" James rolled his eyes. "You have finally discovered that _people_ have _feelings._"

James noticed, frowning, that Sirius wasn't the slightest bit aggravated. He suddenly remembered that Sirius had just mentioned Remus.

"Before you enlightened me on your amazing discovery that people actually have feelings, you mentioned Remus…"

James left his words hanging in the air and slowly a look of realization replaced his frown. It took him a long moment to be able to voice his thoughts.

"Remus? Feelings? You?" James stammered.

Sirius had stopped pacing and stood still, eyeing him warily. Sirius nodded. There was another long silence; James's hazel eyes looked far away.

"Bloody hell…" James breathed. "Blimey, that's rather – but, yeah…"

James nodded vigorously to himself.

"Prongs, you're not making any sense," Sirius stated blankly.

"Sorry, I was just thinking aloud, and as you can see I'm rather confused," James replied slowly. "Just… just leave me a little time to think it through, okay?"

"Sure," Sirius whispered.

He left James in the dormitories and walked down the stairs to the common room, where Remus and Peter were sitting by the window. The common room was thankfully empty except for them; they really didn't need everyone's attention. Sirius sat down next to Remus and the three of them remained silent for a while.

"Have you told him?" Sirius asked briskly.

Remus nodded, still looking a little bit worried. Sirius turned to Peter and saw no change in the plump boy's usual expression of admiration when he looked at him.

"It's a little weird…" Peter said. "But I don't mind. As long as you don't snog or anything when I'm there."

"We won't," Remus promised.

Sirius sighed. "I'll have a hard time keeping that promise."

Sirius smiled mischievously and Remus felt butterflies in his stomach.

"Don't tell anybody yet," Sirius said.

"Of course," Peter nodded.

Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. There was something he had not told Sirius about.

"I did tell Lily and Dorcas," Remus said in a small voice.

"What?" Sirius almost shouted.

"Not about you," Remus quickly added. "I told them I liked boys, but not you particularly, and at the time I didn't even know you felt the same."

Sirius grunted and sulked for a few minutes, which resulted in an unusual silence; Sirius hardly ever let silences last longer than one minute.

"How did James take it?" Remus finally asked, dreading the answer.

"Not too bad, I guess," Sirius shrugged. "He told me he had to think about it, all he could say was 'bloody hell'… he wasn't making much sense."

"But he wasn't angry or disgusted or anything?"

Sirius could hear the worry in Remus's voice. He smiled reassuringly and patted Remus on the back, deciding that public displays of affection, even if only Peter was present, would come later.

"It will be alright," Sirius said.

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "Don't worry, Moony."

Remus looked at his watch; it had been about fifteen minutes since Sirius had left James; he wondered what his messy-haired friend was thinking about upstairs.

"Thanks, Pete," Remus said.

Peter kindly smiled back at him, knowing Remus was thanking him for accepting the news.

"It's normal," Peter said, "it's what true friends do, accepting each other no matter what."

"I really hope James shares your view," Remus sighed.

"I do."

James came walking slowly towards them, his hazel eyes twinkling and softly burning like a friendly, welcoming fire after a long walk outside on a chilly day. James's smile was just the same. Remus and Sirius had never been so relieved and happy to see it.


	9. Epilogue

This is dedicated to **Marauder's Mad**, thanks for your lovely reviews! J'espère que ça te plaira ;)

* * *

**Epilogue**

Sirius merrily walked down the stairs to the common room and found Remus reading a book by the window, from which the sun was shining timidly. It was a Sunday morning, the first of 1978. Remus loved Sunday mornings because he could have a quiet time on his own while his friends slept or had Quidditch practice; Sirius disliked Sunday mornings because all Remus would do was reading. There were definitely other things he'd like to do with Remus on Sunday mornings.

"Morning," Sirius said, still a little sleepily.

He ruffled Remus's light brown hair playfully and kissed the top of his head.

"Good morning, Padfoot," Remus replied.

Sirius gladly watched Remus put his book down. There wasn't anybody else in the common room; it was half past nine, and their fellow Gryffindors were either still sleeping or having breakfast.

"What happened? You fell out of bed?" Remus asked playfully.

But Sirius sat down in front of him, looking very serious.

"No, I just wanted to spend some time alone with you," Sirius said sweetly.

Remus smiled lovingly.

"I never knew you had all that cuteness in you," Remus said softly.

"I never knew either," Sirius admitted.

But Remus's smile faded when he spotted Lily and Dorcas walking down the staircase that led to the girls' dormitories. Lily waved at them, smiling slightly. Remus smiled back a little uncertainly; Dorcas sent Sirius a deathly glare, but the two girls left the common room without a word.

"Why did Dorcas scowl at us?" Sirius asked. "Does she still resent me for that kiss?"

Remus had almost forgotten that Sirius had kissed Dorcas. He shifted in his seat.

"You, Remus Lupin, have something to confess," Sirius said solemnly.

"There's still something I haven't told you," Remus admitted.

Remus expected Sirius to be cross, but the dark-haired boy was smiling slightly.

"There's always another mystery about you, Remus, isn't there?" Sirius said.

"I know, I -"

"That's one of the things I like about you," Sirius cut in firmly.

"Oh," Remus let out, surprised.

Remus blushed slightly as Sirius chuckled.

"You were saying?" Sirius smiled.

"Dorcas was scowling at you because she's… she's in love with me," Remus said, looking down as though it was his fault.

It was Sirius's turn to say, "Oh."

They remained silent for a moment. Remus was biting his bottom lip nervously, looking everywhere but Sirius's way.

"When and how did you learn that?" Sirius finally asked.

"A while ago… Lily told me," Remus replied. "Dorcas confirmed it. That's when – that's when I told her why she really had no chance with me."

James and Peter arrived in the middle of their bickering, but they knew better than to interfere. The four of them made their way towards the Great Hall, Sirius and Remus still arguing. From the outside, they looked like they were having a serious disagreement, but their eyes were smiling.

"You should have told me," Sirius said.

"There wasn't any reason for that!" Remus shot back. "I didn't even know that you were… interested."

"Still, you _should_ have told me," Sirius pouted.

Remus rolled his eyes. Nothing would change his Sirius; yet he wouldn't want him to change, ever.

James looked at his friends and chuckled. "It hasn't changed, after all: here they are, quarrelling like an old married couple…"

* * *

**¤ author's note ¤ **If you enjoyed this story, please 1) leave a review! takes only one minute, 2) participate to the poll on my profile page, vote for this story or another, I don't mind as long as you vote! 


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